Surveillance systems, also known as security systems, may include security devices such as motion detectors or cameras for monitoring interior portions of a secured area of space, door sensors and window sensors for monitoring perimeter portions of the secured area of space, or other suitable types of sensors. When one of these sensors detects motion and/or the opening of a monitored door or window, the security system may issue an alarm signal that causes a siren to produce an audible alarm. The alarm signal may also be electronically communicated to a security company. The security company typically notifies the police, who may then visit the secured area of space in order to investigate.
A problem is that many of the alarm signals issued by a security system are what are known as “false alarms”. False alarms are not the result of a genuinely dangerous condition, such as the presence of an intruder, but rather are a result of a resident, employee of the building, or other user moving within the secured area of space and inadvertently causing an alarm signal to be issued. Even if there is some time period provided by the security system to allow the user to enter a passcode to thereby abort an alarm signal, the user may not know, or may have forgotten, that the alarm system has been activated. Therefore, the user will not enter a passcode in time to prevent the occurrence of a false alarm. Often, the security system communicates with the user to prompt the user to abort the alarm signal. However, the user may also not be able to understand such communications from the security system which are not in the user's native language. Investigations of the false alarms by the police are a waste of community resources and may result in the owners of the security system being monetarily fined.
An approach to reducing the false alarm problem is known as “entry delay”, in which some time period is provided by the security system to allow the user to enter a passcode or other identification to thereby abort an alarm signal, as mentioned above. Most security systems employ an entry delay period which begins when the initial entry door is violated. The user needs to disarm the system within a programmed time period in order to avoid a false alarm. That is, if the system is not disarmed within the given time period, an alarm response will begin.
Another approach is known as “dialer delay”, which delays the sending of an alarm signal to a monitoring station for a predetermined time period. This gives the user time to cancel the alarm before emergency service personnel are dispatched. The delay period typically begins when an alarm condition has been detected. The security system will delay the sending of an alarm signal to the central station for a programmed period of time. If the alarm condition is not acknowledged within the given time period, the security system will send a report to a central station.
A problem with both the entry delay and the dialer delay approach is that the user, such as an employee in a secured building, may not be aware that an alarm response is forthcoming, and that he needs to enter a passcode or take some other measure to prevent the alarm. A reason the user may be unaware of the forthcoming alarm response is that he does not understand communications from the security system that he needs to take action in order to avoid the alarm. What is needed in the art is a security system, and method of operation thereof, that communicates with users in their native language or other preferred language, so that each user understands instructions or other communications provided by the security system.
Conventional security products are localized and provide a single language user interface to an end user. Therefore, multiple, separate localized products would be required in order to cover multiple languages. Multiple user interfaces (such as keypads), or other systems, would also be required in order to deliver the different languages desired by the different end-users. The present security system simplifies the user interface and system interaction within a security system product. As discussed above, confusing communications between the end user and a user interface device (e.g. keypad) are a problem within the security industry and often lead to false alarms, user confusion, user intimidation, and a general lack of confidence in using such a security system. In many security systems, end users may speak and understand languages other than the language used by their security system.
The present invention provides an automatic language selection system and method which assigns a preferred language to each security system user. Users then have security system information delivered to them in their preferred language. This customized information provides the user with clear, comprehendible, information and allows user to use the security system with reduced concern, confusion, apprehension, and mistakes. In an illustrated embodiment of the present invention, audible, spoken word instructions are provided to the user in the user's native language (or other language preferred by the user), thereby ensuring that the user will comprehend the meaning of the instructions or other communications and what course of action the user should take.
In an illustrated embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating a security system having at least one user interface comprises assigning a preferred language for communicating with each of a plurality of users of the security system. The preferred language is selected from a plurality of different available languages. The method also comprises detecting a particular user's presence adjacent a user interface of the security system, determining the preferred language assigned to the particular user, and communicating information related to the security system to the particular user in the assigned preferred language.
In an exemplary embodiment, the method of operating a security system further comprises sensing a security breach, and providing an indication to the particular user that an alarm signal will be issued in response to the sensing step. The indication is provided in the particular user's preferred language. Illustratively, the indication provided to the particular user may include instructions given in the particular user's preferred language regarding how to abort the alarm signal.
In another illustrated embodiment of the present invention, a method of operating a security system having at least one user interface comprises assigning a user identification to each of a plurality of users of the security system, selecting a preferred language for communicating with each user from a plurality of different available languages, and associating the user identification of each user with the selected preferred language for that user. The method also comprises detecting a particular user's presence adjacent a user interface of the security system, determining the preferred language associated with the particular user, and communicating with the particular user in the associated preferred language.
In yet another illustrated embodiment of the present invention, a security system comprises a plurality of sensors configured to sense security breaches and generate detection signals based thereon, a controller configured to receive the detection signals from the plurality of sensors and selectively generate an alarm signal in response to the detection signals, and a database accessible by the controller. The database stores a user identification for each of a plurality of users of the security system and a preferred language for communicating with each of the plurality of users of the security system. The preferred language is selected from a plurality of different available languages. The security system also comprises a user interface in communication with the controller. The user interface includes an input device configured to receive a user identification to identify a particular user and a communication device configured to communicate with the particular user in the user's preferred language.
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.